The present invention relates generally to an ink-supplied printer head being supplied with ink from an ink supply tank and more particularly to an ink supply tank which allows for the continuous supply of ink to the printer head while avoiding adverse effects from temperature, atmospheric changes or vibrations. The present invention allows for a larger volume of ink in the ink supply tank and allows for a greater percentage of the ink in the tank to be transferred to the printer head. Also, the present invention comprises a tank with transparent sides so the user is able to easily determine the remaining quantity of ink, and also means for dampening of the unwanted movement of ink within the ink supply tank.
In addition, the invention relates generally to an ink tank cartridge for an ink jet printer, and more particularly, to a replenishable ink tank cartridge which supplies ink to a recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus or the like, a replenishment pack, a replenishment tool, an ink injection device, a replenishment set, and a method of replenishing an ink tank with ink.
Ink supply systems for a wire dot matrix printer are known in which no ink ribbon is used, but ink is supplied from an ink tank to the distal ends of the wire and transferred from the wires directly to a sheet of print paper. Portions of these ink supply systems, including the supply tanks thereof, are also adaptable to be used in ink jet type printers.
In the parent applications to this application, improved ink storage and delivery was achieved by providing a porous member in an ink tank that essentially filled the tank and carried essentially the entire supply of ink. It was found that while this construction offered substantial improvement over the prior art, the use of the full porous member limited the quantity of ink which would be stored in an ink tank of a given size, increasing the frequency of ink tank replacement.
Various kinds of ink tanks for ink jet printers are known from the prior art. For example, Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. SHO63-87,242 discloses an ink tank in which ink absorbing members made of a porous material are respectively housed in a plurality of chambers. Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. HEI6-40,043 discloses an ink tank in which a sealed container is divided by a partition so that a chamber housing an ink absorbing member, and an ink chamber storing only ink are juxtaposed.
In the ink tanks of above-mentioned prior art examples, the ink tanks can store a large quantity of ink so that ink may be supplied to a recording head for a long print head life. When the previously charged ink is consumed, however, such an ink tank must be replaced with a fresh one. Replacement of the cartridge is cumbersome and has the additional disadvantage that the replacement process may cause the user's hands or the like to be soiled with ink. Furthermore, the disposal of depleted ink tanks involves large costs and causes environmental pollution.
Accordingly, it is desired provide an ink tank cartridge for an ink jet printer which may be reused, refilled quickly and cleanly upon depletion of ink from the ink tank and which overcomes the other limitations of the prior art.